Malaysian rights panel flooded with plaints

Ulhas Joglekar ulhasj at bom4.vsnl.net.in
Tue May 16 18:17:24 PDT 2000


Tuesday 16 May 2000

Malaysian rights panel flooded with plaints KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's newly created Human Rights Commission has been flooded by complaints of violations and abuse in its first month of operation, the commission's chairman said on Monday. At least 106 letters had poured in until last week, most with complaints about how authorities had prevented political rallies, chairman Musa Hitam said. "We listen to this list of complaints and we have taken note of it," Musa told reporters after a meeting with independent rights groups who were among the first to file complaints to test how far the government-appointed commission would go in addressing rights abuses in the Southeast Asian nation. But Musa, a former Malaysian deputy prime minister, warned that the commission had no powers to punish offenders. "We are not an enforcement agency. We can only make recommendations," he said. The 13-member panel of judges, politicians, academics and representatives from non-governmental groups began work in April, amid growing international criticism of Malaysia's treatment of political dissidents and its curbs on press freedom. The commission's roster, approved by the King, has been criticised for excluding many activists who have accused the Mahathir Mohamad government of crushing civil liberties. The country's judiciary, the police force and government departments have come under fire by rights groups for not investigating allegations of abuse. Critics, meanwhile, have accused the government of keeping a tight rein over the commission by not giving it powers to suggest punishment and not guaranteeing seats for independent rights groups. On Monday, Musa said the commission had held "a cordial exchange of ideas" with 12 leading rights activists. "We were not embracing each other. They did pressure us, but it was in the spirit of cooperation," said Musa, who was chairman of the UN Human Rights Commission in 1995. The activists, representing 31 local rights groups, also submitted a memorandum to the commission, demanding that it establish itself as "genuinely bold, independent and effective". "It is essential that its jurisdiction and power are not effectively reduced or curtailed by existing law," the groups said. (AP) For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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